Trail Snapshot
Trail(s): 15 miles of double track forest road and single track. Surfaces vary from grass to roots, dirt and rocks. Downhill single track rutted, bench cut.
Difficulty: The trails we rode would fall between intermediate and advanced. Only paved, gravel, and double track forest roads would be appropriate for beginners. KSF does offer much, however, for the mountain biker in search of obstacles or technical riding.
Outdoor Travels Rating: 4 out of 5 bikes.
Thumbs up:
-A wide variety of quality trails to choose from.
-The downhill trails are fast and fun
-The trails are well maintained and generally in excellent shape
Thumbs down:
-A long, 2-mile long service road climb to access the trails at the top
-Circuitous drive through the backroads of South Charleston to actually get to the park
-Proximity of the park to Charleston area makes it a very busy place; if you’re looking for solitude this isn’t the place for you.
Nuts & Bolts
Location: Kanawha State Forest lies southeast of Charleston, WV. The park lies just off of US Route 119. It is easily accessible via Interstates 77, 79, and 64 from Huntington, Charleston, Parkersburg, Clarksburg, or Beckley.
Directions: From I-64 in Charleston, take Exit 58A, drive south on US 119. Turn left onto Oakwood Rd. at the second stop light, (following the brown and white “Kanawha State Forest” signs) go 3/4 mile and take a left before George Washington High School continuing on Oakwood Road, turn right onto Bridge Rd., and right onto Connell Rd. At the bottom of Connell, make a sharp left onto Kanawha Forest Drive, follow to the forest entrance.
Facilities: No cabins, camping only. Fully equipped, 46-site camping area. The campground is served by two bathhouses and coin-operated laundry facilities. All sites have fire rings and picnic tables. In addition, 25 sites feature electricity and water hookups. Firewood and ice are available. A dump station is available for campground guests. Open from mid-April to the end of October (weather permitting). Only one tent or trailer is allowed per site and check-out time is 12 noon. An attendant is on duty from 2:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. daily. Campers may select a site that is not taken or reserved and the attendant will stop by and register you. For pricing or additional information, contact the park at (304) 558-3500, or call the WV Tourism Office at 1-800-CALL WVA.
Activities: swimming, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, target shooting, hunting, fishing, picnicking, and camping.
Admission: none.
Maps and stuff
Lots of great photos to give you a good idea of what riding here is like!
Kanawha video:
Mountain Biking
Kanawha State Forest
Charleston, West Virginia
Long climb up in order to enjoy some screaming downhill runs
9/26/04 - by Jeff Cobb, Outdoor Travels
The Kanawha State Forest is an idyllic spot located smack dab within the busiest metropolitan area of West Virginia. Charleston is the State Capital and West Virginia’s biggest city.
Three major interstate arteries converge here with I-79 and I-77 from the north, and I-77 and I-64 from the south. It’s a very bustling place with lots of traffic. That’s why the juxtaposition of the idyllic KSF setting compared to the sights and sounds of the city is so jarring; once you pull into the park, you’d never imagine that so many malls and restaurants were right over the ridge, or that so many cars were buzzing by a few miles away.
Evidence of the city is apparent, however, in the amount of people in the park. If you’re looking for a ride filled with solitude and no traces of civilization, this is not the ride for you. We visited Sunday morning through early afternoon, and encountered plenty of other bikers, hikers, and folks just out walking their dogs. Despite the “people crunch,” in our opinion the KSF is still worth visiting because the crowds are offset by the quality of the trails available there.
Only two trails would be considered relatively flat – Davis Creek Trail and Middle Ridge Trail. The rest of the trails are uphill or downhill depending on the direction you’re headed. Unless you are a climbing demon who possesses amazing uphill obstacle crossing abilities, you will be pushing your bike up the trails to the top of the ridge. Therein lies the only real drawback to the KSF: riders have to make a 2-mile long climb on a forest service road to get to the goodies at the top.
But once there, riders will be treated to a cornucopia of fun, challenging downhill trails from which to choose. Make no mistake, these trails are tough and technical. If you’re not up to the challenge, we suggest riding the Middle Ridge Trail once you’ve climbed to the top, and then coasting back down the forest road. If, however, you’re feeling a little squirrely, drop off on one of the well-marked trails and hold on for dear life. A few rocks, roots, ruts, logs, power slides, fishtails, and extreme switchbacks later, you’ll be standing at the bottom of the hill, exhilarated and suffering from hand cramps, brakes smoking, wishing there was a chair lift to take you back to the top.
Trail Reviews:
Davis Creek Trail – Middle Mountain Ridge Trail – Teaberry Rock Trail -- Ballard Trail
Davis Creek is an undulating, roller coaster of a trail that follows along (surprise) Davis Creek right through the heart of the park. The longest trail in the KSK at 2.5 miles, a rider can access it from basically anywhere on the flatlands. There are a few little climbs but the trail is relatively flat. Intermediate level trail with enough rocks and roots to keep things interesting. This is one of those “fast as you dare to go” kind of trails. Not extremely challenging, but fun.
Middle Mountain Ridge Trail is identical in topography (relatively flat with undulations) to Davis Creek except it winds its way around the top of the ridge as opposed to following a creek. A few really tight turns and some spots where you have to squeeze between trees close by on either side of your handlebars. You can go very fast, but be careful that you don’t clip a tree or log. Very fun trail and worth the climb to get to it.
Teaberry Rock Trail starts out as a gentle downhill grade but grows steeper and steeper as you approach the terminus junction with Davis Creek Trail. The steeper it gets, the more obstacles you have to deal with. Several of the switchbacks are precariously close to a substantial drop off so exercise due caution. The last 1/3 of this trail is basically a screaming downhill where you will be locking brakes and sliding along over large imbedded boulders, loose rocks, ruts, and some stray roots thrown in for good measure. It was dry when we rode, but a wet ride would be very difficult. Very fun, very challenging, technically advanced trail. Bring your gonads.
Ballard Trail is rated blue, which is an intermediate status, but in the opinion of the ODT staff, this trail is at leas as difficult (if not more difficult) than Teaberry Rock Trail, which is rated red, or advanced. While Teaberry is steeper, Ballard involves more technical sections, and it is pretty steep in its own right. The highlight of Ballard is the middle rock/cave section. There are several sweet rock ledges, channels, and tight maneuver spots to challenge even the most skilled of riders. And just for good measure, there’s an awesome rock overhang that forms a sort of cave that you can actually ride into and out of like Batman. Then of course there’s the obligatory screaming downhill that KSF is known for. It had rained for several days prior to our ride, so sections of the trail were wet and muddy, but the cave section was actually bone dry. So it’s safe to say these trails are rideable even in the most miserable weather conditions. Very fun, challenging, technically advanced trail.
